METAIRIE, La.—Receiver Marques Colston seemingly is operating in the shadows of new stars Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles, but he remains as reliable as any weapon in the Saints' diverse offense.

Colston is on pace for his fifth 1,000-yard season, despite missing two games with a broken collarbone. He caught two touchdown passes last Sunday against the Tennessee Titans to bring his season total to five and his career total to 45.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder may be targeted less than he was in the past because of the emergence of Graham—a similar-sized target who creates similar mismatches in the middle of the field—but Colston also is double-covered less. Teams have a hard time trying to match up against both big men at the same time.

Notes: QB Drew Brees said he has tabled contract discussions with the team until after the season to keep them from being a distraction, especially since talks didn’t seem to be going anywhere. Brees’ contract is up after this season, though the Saints can always designate him their franchise player while continuing to work on a long-term extension. One way or another, a deal will eventually get done since the player and the team have been such a perfect fit. In the meantime, Brees can try to help his bargaining position with a few more NFL records and another Super Bowl run.